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Hall County, Nebraska

Map_of_Nebraska_highlighting_Hall_County
Map_of_Nebraska_highlighting_Hall_County
HALL COUNTY WEATHER

Hall County Cameras

Grand Island

Towns in Hall County Nebraska

Alda ·
Cairo ·
Doniphan ·
Grand Island ·
Wood River

Hall County, Nebraska

County seat: Grand Island · Created: November 4, 1858 · Named for: Augustus Hall, an early territorial judge · License plates: prefix 8 · Population: 62,895 (2020 census), the highest count yet; about 63,600 (2025) · Area: 552 sq mi · Time zone: Central

About Hall County

Hall County lies on the Platte River in central Nebraska and is the state’s fourth-most-populous county. Grand Island, the county seat, is Nebraska’s fourth-largest city, and Wood River is the other city; the villages are Cairo, Doniphan and Alda. The county borders Howard County on the north, Merrick on the northeast, Hamilton on the east, Adams on the south, Kearney at the southwest corner and Buffalo on the west.

German settlers from Davenport, Iowa, founded Grand Island on July 4, 1857, and the territorial legislature created the county the next year. The Union Pacific arrived in 1866, and later lines founded Doniphan (1879) and Cairo (1886). The county has grown at every census since 1860. On June 3, 1980, seven tornadoes struck Grand Island in one night, killing five people. Each spring the Platte here is one of the main stopovers of the sandhill crane migration.

Towns of Hall County

Cities and villages

Grand Island

City · County seat · Pop. 53,131 · ZIP 68801
I-80 (Exits 312, 314) · US 30 · US 281 · US 34

Hall County seat and Nebraska’s fourth-largest city (53,131), home of the Nebraska State Fair and the Stuhr Museum.

Wood River

City · Pop. 1,172 · ZIP 68883
I-80 (Exit 300) · US 30 · NE 11

City of 1,172 on US 30 in southwestern Hall County, moved three miles east to the Union Pacific’s new station in 1874–75.

Doniphan

Village · Pop. 809 · ZIP 68832
US 281

Village of 809 on US 281 midway between Grand Island and Hastings, home of Doniphan-Trumbull Schools; Mormon Island SRA is nearby.

Cairo

Village · Pop. 822 · ZIP 68824
NE 2 · NE 11

The “Oasis of the Prairie,” a village of 822 named for Cairo, Egypt, with streets to match; home of Centura Public Schools.

Alda

Village · Pop. 647 · ZIP 68810
US 30 · I-80 (Exit 305)

Village of 647 on US 30 west of Grand Island; the Crane Trust and the Alda crane viewing site are just south at I-80 Exit 305.

Travel Corridors

I-80 crosses the south of the county with four exits: 300 (NE 11, Wood River), 305 (Alda), 312 (US 281/US 34 to Grand Island and Hastings) and 314 (Locust St., Grand Island); Exit 318 (NE 2) is just over the line in Hamilton County. I-80 Corridor → US 30, the Lincoln Highway, runs through Wood River, Alda and Grand Island. US 30 Corridor → US 281 runs north–south past Grand Island and Doniphan, sharing the expressway south of I-80 with US 34. US 281 Corridor → NE 2 heads northwest from Grand Island through Cairo. Highway 2 Corridor →

Cameras: View Hall County cameras → · Road conditions: Nebraska 511

Things to See

Hall County has 29 places on the National Register, most of them in Grand Island: the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer and its Railroad Town, the 1915 Lincoln Highway Seedling Mile, the Hall County Courthouse, the Hotel Yancey, the Liederkranz and the Burlington depot, home of the Hall County Historical Society. Elsewhere are the Gloe Brothers Service Station in Wood River, the Townsley–Murdock Immigrant Trail Site near Alda and the Nine Bridges Bridge near Doniphan; the newest listing, in July 2026, is the “Erma’s Desire” sculpture at the I-80 eastbound rest area. Raising Nebraska and Fonner Park share the State Fair grounds.

Parks and Outdoors

In spring the Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center (I-80 Exit 305), which protects nearly 10,000 acres of Platte River habitat, offers guided blind and driving tours, and the free Alda Crane Viewing Site is open year-round. Mormon Island (Doniphan) and Cheyenne (Wood River) state recreation areas have lakes and camping. State wildlife areas are Cornhusker (840 acres, west of Grand Island), Loch Linda, Martin’s Reach and Wood River West. Hall County Park has camping, and the Heartland Public Shooting Park covers 420 acres near Alda.

Hall County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Grand Island · Wood River · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Howard County (north) · Merrick County (northeast) · Hamilton County (east) · Adams County (south) · Kearney County (southwest corner) · Buffalo County (west).

Events

The Nebraska State Fair at Fonner Park (Aug. 28–Sept. 7 in 2026, with 306,251 visitors), the Harvest of Harmony band parade (Oct. 3, 2026), the Hall County Fair each July and Cairo’s Cornstalk Festival in June.

Events in Hall County

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Hall County at a Glance

Hall County, Nebraska — created November 4, 1858, and named for Augustus Hall, an early territorial judge. County seat Grand Island. Population 62,895 at the 2020 census, the highest yet, and about 63,600 in 2025; Nebraska’s fourth-most-populous county. 678 listings across 5 towns.

Grand Island has hosted the Nebraska State Fair since 2010. The Stuhr Museum’s Railroad Town is open May 1 to September 15, and the Crane Trust leads sandhill crane tours each spring.

Getting there: I-80 crosses the south of the county (Exits 300, 305, 312 and 314); US 30, US 281, US 34 and NE 2 meet at Grand Island, whose airport has flights to Dallas/Fort Worth, Las Vegas and Phoenix–Mesa. Central Time.

Born here: actor Henry Fonda and the reformers Edith and Grace Abbott (Grand Island).

Vehicles registered in Hall County carry license plate number 8. See what every Nebraska county number means.

Hall County Businesses & Places

679 listings in Hall County.

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Eat & Drink (89)

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Outdoors & Recreation (21)
Places to Visit (15)
Events & Venues (19)
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Travel Services (4)
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Automotive (99)

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Community & Faith (54)
Government & Resources (52)
Professional Services (48)
Trades & Construction (47)
Education (40)
Agriculture & Farm (24)
Home Improvement & Repair (13)
Real Estate (11)
Media (11)
Personal Services (9)
Manufacturing & Industrial (8)
Animals & Pets (8)
Utilities (6)
Land & Property Services (4)
Transportation (3)
Business & Community Development (2)
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